FILL MELODIES: 16th Notes "E's" and "Ah's"

Free pdf here

Let's continue our exploration of Melodies as fills.

A quick recap of how to read melodies for the drumset:

We play the MELODY on one voice (in this case kick and cymbals) while another voice (snare) 'Fills-in' between our melody notes.

This style of reading is sometimes called the Alan Dawson Method - after the famous Berklee jazz instructor, but lots of people teach with some variation of this method. This is the most basic of voicings - For more of a challenge, you can switch voices, add toms or left foot; you can also change your fill in subdivisions. The possibilities are really endless, the hardest part for most students is just getting going. Start at the beginning of Ted Reed's "Syncopation" and work your way up. Fluency is the goal, not sloppy speed.

Sixteenth note melodies are inherently funky - E's and Ah's fit in the cracks of most grooves; so you hear them used a lot more in "Advanced" music, like neo-soul and fusion. But don't let that scare you, start slow and focus on placement - once you're fluent in landing on E's and Ah's your phrasing will start to open up and get off of the 1/4 note and 1/8th note grid.

These exercises plus a lot more are available in the book "Drumset Patterns, Melodies and Rudiments" - which can be purchased at www.thedrummerbrain.com/store

Happy drums to you